MLB Umpire Camps

Staff

Umpire Camps Staff

Hall of Famer Joe Torre is Major League Baseball's Chief Baseball Officer, overseeing all baseball operations and reporting directly to Commissioner Robert D. Manfred, Jr. Since 2011, Torre has been the Office of the Commissioner's primary liaison to the general managers and field managers of the 30 Major League Clubs and the Major League Umpires.

Torre, a manager for 29 seasons, ranks fifth all-time with 2,326 managerial wins. He led the New York Yankees to four World Series Championships, six American League pennants and 12 Postseason appearances in his 12 years (1996-2007) as manager. The two-time A.L. Manager of the Year also led the New York Mets (1977-1981), the Atlanta Braves (1982-1984), the St. Louis Cardinals (1990-1995) and the Los Angeles Dodgers (2008-2010). Torre made his managerial debut with the Mets on May 31, 1977, becoming the first player-manager in the Majors since 1959. In 2013, he led Team USA in the World Baseball Classic.

During his 18-year playing career with the Milwaukee/Atlanta Braves (1960-1968), the Cardinals (1969-1974) and the Mets (1975-1977), the nine-time All-Star compiled a .297 batting average, 2,342 hits and 252 home runs. He was the National League's 1971 Most Valuable Player, batting .363 with 24 home runs and a league-leading 137 RBI.

On December 9, 2013, the National Baseball Hall of Fame announced that its Expansion Era Committee had unanimously elected Torre to its Class of 2014. Torre was inducted into the Hall of Fame on July 27, 2014 in Cooperstown. On August 23, 2014, Torre's number six was retired by the Yankees, making him the 17th individual to receive such an honor.

Torre is the Chairman of the Joe Torre Safe At Home Foundation, which he and his wife, Ali, launched in 2002. The Safe At Home Foundation's mission is to develop educational programs that will end the cycle of domestic violence and save lives. Since its inception, the Foundation has educated thousands of students, parents, teachers and school faculty about the devastating effects of domestic violence.

Torre is the co-author of three books: The Yankee Years (Doubleday 2009); Joe Torre's Ground Rules for Winners (Hyperion 1999); and Chasing the Dream (Bantam, 1997, 1998). Torre was born on July 18, 1940 in Brooklyn, New York. He, Ali and their daughter, Andrea, currently live in New York. His three adult children are Michael, Cristina and Lauren.

Peter Woodfork was named Major League Baseball's Senior Vice President of Baseball Operations on March 8, 2011. In this capacity, Peter's primary responsibilities include oversight of umpiring and instant replay, among other baseball operations functions.

Prior to joining MLB, Woodfork spent five years as the Assistant General Manager of the Arizona Diamondbacks, where he also served as a Vice President in 2010. While in Arizona, Peter primarily focused on the D-backs' 40-man roster management as well as contract negotiations, scouting and Minor League player development. He came to Arizona by way of the Boston Red Sox, where he served for three seasons (2003-05) as Director of Baseball Operations and Assistant Director of Player Development. With Boston, Woodfork played a key role in signing players, salary arbitration, monitoring league rules and working on player development issues.

Before working for the Red Sox, Woodfork spent three years in the Commissioner's Office as a part of MLB's Labor Relations Department. During his first stint with MLB, he worked with the baseball operations departments of all teams, assisting them with the interpretation of the collective bargaining agreement, salary arbitration and advising them of upcoming deadlines. Woodfork also took part in the creation of the 2003-06 Basic Agreement between MLB and the Major League Baseball Players Association.

Woodfork is a 1999 graduate of Harvard University, where he earned a degree in psychology and was a starting infielder for the Crimson baseball team, which won three Ivy League Championships in his four seasons.

Randy Marsh was appointed to his position as Major League Baseball's Director of Major League Umpires before the 2011 season. Randy became an Umpire Supervisor for Major League Baseball in 2010 after more than 40 years of professional umpiring experience, including 28 at the Major League level.

Marsh joined the Major League staff in 1982 after umpiring in the minors for 13 years. The former
National League umpire worked four All-Star Games (1985, 88, 96, 2006), five Division Series, eight League Championship Series and five World Series (1990, 97, 99, 2003, 06), including serving as the Crew Chief in 2006. He was the crew chief for three of the five Fall Classics to which he was assigned. Randy was also part of the crew that umpired the Opening Series 2000 in Tokyo, Japan between the Chicago Cubs and New York Mets.

Marsh, who began umpiring Little League games when he was 15, has served as an instructor at Major League Baseball's inaugural Umpire Camps (MLBUC.com), held at MLB's Urban Youth Academy in Compton, California. He was also a part of the first Joint Committee on Training, and played a role in the collaboration on the first Major League Umpire Manual. In December 2014, Marsh was inducted into the Florida State League Hall of Fame. In 2015, he will be inducted into the Kentucky Sports Hall of Fame.

Marsh graduated from Covington Holmes High School in 1967, and attended the University of Kentucky and the Al Somers Umpire School before serving in the U.S. Army Reserve from 1968-74. Marsh, 67, and his wife Roxanne have a daughter, Lauren, and a grandson, Marshall.

Rich Rieker became Director of Umpire Development in Major League Baseball's Umpiring Department prior to the 2011 season. In this capacity, Rieker coordinates a wide variety of training and educational initiatives and works closely with the Major League Umpires. Rieker joined MLB in 2002 as an Umpire Supervisor after spending nine seasons as a Major League Umpire.

Since 2006, Rich has been responsible for administering Major League Baseball Umpire Camps
(www.MLBUC.com), based at MLB's Urban Youth Academy in California. He continues to serve as the
coordinator of the Camps, which resulted from a joint effort by MLB, the World Umpires Association, the Professional Baseball Umpire Corporation, the Jim Evans Academy of Professional Umpiring and the Wendelstedt Umpire School. In 2013, a series of one-day Camps was held in Boston, Bristol, Brooklyn, San Juan and other locations. More than 30 scholarship recipients from the Camps have gone on to attend umpire school, allowing professional prospects to get exposure, and over 100 professional umpiring careers have been launched as a result of the Camps. In 2015, 35 attendees of the eight free, one-day Camps attended pro mini camp in Fort Myers, Florida in December and 14 advanced into pro ball this year on MLB scholarship. In addition, the Camps have trained more than 800 military members and 4,000 attendees overall. Rieker has served as MLB's liaison to the United States Marine Corps and Columbia College of Missouri as the organizations collectively developed the U.S. Marine Corps Officiating Certification Program, which allowed Marines to take courses that culminate in an internship at the MLB Umpire Camp.

Rieker developed and managed the production of the "Virtual Umpire Camp" CD-ROM, a first-of-its-kind product that illustrates the proper mechanics for two-umpire, three-umpire and four-umpire crews with umpiring signals in 3-D. The disk, produced in conjunction with the Professional Baseball Umpire Corporation and Immersion Media, was utilized by all professional umpires and is currently in distribution worldwide. The "Virtual Umpire Camp" CD-ROM version 3.0 was produced for release in 2015. Rieker also was responsible for the coordination of the training and assignments of both Major League and international umpires for the World Baseball Classic.

Rieker worked in the Midwest (1983-85), Eastern (1985-86), American Association (1986-95) and Dominican Winter (1987-88) Leagues prior to joining the National League staff in 1996. During his tenure as a Major League Umpire, Rieker worked one All-Star Game (1998) and two Division Series (1999-2000). He also was an instructor at the Harry Wendelstedt Umpire School for 16 years.

A native of St. Louis, Rieker graduated from the University of Missouri-St. Louis in 1984 with a Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration & Marketing. Rieker, 54, resides in Orlando with his wife, Kathleen. He has two children, Jacob and Michael.

Cris Jones joined Major League Baseball as an Umpire Supervisor in 2005. In addition to evaluating games at the Major League level, he serves as the Umpiring Department's Triple-A Coordinator, assigning call-up umpires, overseeing and staffing the Arizona Fall League and assigning Spring Training
Invitees. Cris also is part of the core staff for MLB's Umpire Camps as curriculum coordinator and heads the scholarship program.

The 2017 season marks the 31st year in professional baseball for Cris. He umpired in the Gulf Coast League, Midwest League, Texas League and the American Association. Upon leaving the field in 1997, Jones became an Umpire Supervisor with MLB Umpire Development Program, which reorganized in 1998 as the Professional Baseball Umpire Corporation (PBUC).

Jones played college basketball for Lincoln College and Quincy College in Illinois. He resides in Colorado.

Tom Lepperd, currently in his 43rd year in professional baseball, joined Major League Baseball in 2000 after serving the previous two seasons as the assistant to Paul Runge, the National League's Director of Umpires. The 2012 season was his first as an Umpire Supervisor for special projects, focusing on umpire development. Previously he served as MLB's Director of Umpire Administration.

Lepperd graduated number one in his class from the Bill Kinnamon Umpire School in February 1975 and was assigned to the Midwest League for that season. After working in the Midwest League (1975-76), Lepperd umpired in the Eastern League (1976-77) and American Association (1978-86). He was assigned to work in American League Spring Training games from 1983-86 and also served as a fill-in in AL regular season games (1984-86) before joining the Umpire Development Program as a supervisor in 1987, where he stayed until joining the National League in 1998. He was also a part of the first joint committee on training and helped to calibrate the first-ever Major League Umpire Manual.

Lepperd graduated from the University of Illinois (Champaign-Urbana) with highest university honors and a B.S. in Teaching of Mathematics in 1972. Prior to attending the Kinnamon Umpire School, Lepperd taught mathematics at Evanston Township High School in Evanston, Illinois for three years. Tom resides in West Des Moines, Iowa, with his wife, Susan. They have two children, Kelsey and Zachary.

Chuck Meriwether joined Major League Baseball as an Umpire Supervisor in 2011 following 18 years of umpiring in the Major Leagues.

Meriwether, who joined the American League staff in 1993, attended the Wendelstedt Umpire School in 1979 and began umpiring professionally later that year. He has worked eight Division Series (1998-2002, 04, 07, 09), two League Championship Series (2003 and 2006), two World Series (2004 and 2007) and two All-Star Games (1996 and 2002). In addition, he was part of the crews that worked David Cone's perfect game at Yankee Stadium in 1999 and Mark Buehrle's perfect game at U.S. Cellular Field in 2009.

Chuck previously umpired in the Midwest League (1979), Eastern League (1980-81), Pacific Coast League (1982-85) and American Association (1986-92). A native of Nashville, Tennessee, Meriwether graduated from Athans State College in 1978 with a B.S. in Health and Physical Education. Meriwether, 59, has two sons, Jeremy and Christopher.

Following 34 years as a Major League Umpire, Ed Montague became an Umpire Supervisor for Major League Baseball in 2011. Montague, a former crew chief, retired following the 2009 season after working 4,369 career games.

Ed became a member of the Major League staff in 1976 and worked seven Division Series (1981, 95, 2000, 03-05, 07), eight League Championship Series (1979, 84, 87, 92, 96, 99, 2001-02), six World Series (1986, 91, 97, 2000, 04, 07) and four All-Star Games (1982, 90, 98, 2004). He was the first base umpire when Pete Rose singled to break Ty Cobb's all-time hit record in Cincinnati in 1985, and he was the home plate umpire for Game 7 of the 1997 Fall Classic.

A San Francisco native, Montague attended San Francisco City College and previously umpired in the California League (1972), Arizona Instructional League (1972-73) and Pacific Coast League (1973-75). Ed served in the U.S. Navy from 1969-73 and worked for the Disabled American?Veterans for 10 years. His father, Ed Sr., played for the Cleveland Indians from 1928-33 and was later a scout for the New York/San Francisco Giants, where he was credited with the signing of Willie Mays.

Ed was credited with a role as an umpire in the 2011 Academy Award-nominated film Moneyball. Montague, 67, resides in California with his wife Marcia. They have three children: Eddie, Brooke and Brett.

Following 20 years of umpiring in the Major Leagues, Charlie Reliford joined Major League Baseball as an Umpire Supervisor in 2010. He is one of Major League Baseball's key liaisons to the Major League Umpires, particularly on rules interpretations and applications.

Reliford, who joined the Major League staff in 1991, began umpiring professionally in 1982. He has worked two All-Star Games (1996, 2007), four Division Series, three League Championship Series and two World Series (2000, 04). He was the Crew Chief for the first Major League game in history to use instant replay on a home run boundary call in a game between the New York Yankees and Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field on September 3, 2008.

Reliford, who attended the University of Kentucky and Ohio University, is a former chief instructor at the Wendelstedt Umpire School. He also serves as a spokesperson for King's Daughter's Hospital Hospitality House Fund in Ashland, Kentucky. Charlie, 59, has one child, Logan.

A veteran of more than 23 years of Major League umpiring, Larry Young become one of Major League Baseball's Umpire Supervisors in 2008, serving as a liaison to MLB's active umpires.

Young joined the Major League staff in 1985 in the American League. He worked two All-Star Games (1991, 2003), six Division Series, three League Championship Series and two World Series (1996, 2003). Prior to his Major League career, Young worked at the Minor League level from 1978-1982.

Young was the coordinator of umpires for the 2013 World Baseball Classic, which included the training of all international umpires. He has trained umpires in 17 countries and six continents, including the United States, Australia, Canada, the Czech Republic, the Dominican Republic, Germany, Italy, Japan, Korea, Mexico, the Netherlands, Panama, Puerto Rico, South Africa, Spain, Taiwan and Venezuela. Young was the first umpire ever to be a part of the game's Playing Rules Committee. Larry has worked as an instructor at many of Major League Baseball's Umpire Camps held annually at MLB's Urban Youth Academy in Compton, California and around the country.

Young graduated from Northern Illinois University in 1976 with a B.A. in Education. He is President of Larry Young and Friends Charities, which raises money for various organizations like Special Olympics, Hospice and the American Heart Association. Larry has been the recipient of the JC Penny Golden Rule Award, the Special Olympics Volunteer of the Year, Florida Diamond Club Umpire of the Year, the Goodwill Abilities Center Distinguished Service Award and the 2002 Gold Whistle Award, presented by the National Association of Sports Officials.

Young, 62, and his wife, Joan, have two children, Jessica and Darcy, and one grandson, Bo.

After more than 22 years as a Major League Umpire, Ed Rapuano began a new role as an Umpire
Evaluator for Major League Baseball's Umpiring Department in the 2013 season.

Ed became a member of the National League Umpiring staff in 1991. He worked two All-Star Games (1995, 2008), eight Division Series (1997-98, 2001, 2003, 2006, 2008-2010), five League Championship Series (1999-2000, 2002, 2004-05) and two World Series (2001, 2003) in his career. He ranks his first
Postseason game - the Division Series between the Astros and Braves at Atlanta on September 30,
1997 - as his proudest moment as an umpire. He became an umpire in New York-Penn League in 1985 after attending the Harry Wendelstedt Umpire School.

The Connecticut native, 58, is married to Valerie with three children: Eddie III, Rosalie and Nicholas. Ed has often instructed amateur umpires in his off-seasons, and he also has participated in baseball clinics in Italy, where has visited.

After his career on the field, Bruce Froemming joined Major League Baseball's Umpiring Department as a Special Assistant in 2008. Froemming works on various projects, focusing on the training and instruction of young umpires in particular.

In 2007, Froemming completed his 37th year of Major League service, attaining the longest period of consecutive years of service by an active umpire in baseball history. He surpassed Hall of Famer Bill Klem to gain the mark for longevity. The record was celebrated on April 16, 2007 at Minute Maid Park in Houston. Later in the 2007 season, Bruce served as the crew chief at the All-Star Game in San Francisco and then led the crew that called the Yankees-Indians American League Division Series.

Froemming's 111 career postseason games worked were the most in baseball history at the time of his retirement, and his total of 5,162 Major League games worked ranks second to Klem's 5,369. Froemming and Klem are the only umpires in history to work over 5,000 Major League games. Froemming's equipment from his 5,000th career game is on display at the Hall of Fame. Overall, Bruce worked three All-Star Games, nine Division Series (a record), 10 League Championship Series and five World Series (1976, 1984, 1988, 1990 and 1995).

The Milwaukee native is married to Rose Marie with two sons, Kevin and Steve, and two grandsons, Nicolas and Christopher. Bruce now resides in Florida.

Matt McKendry was named Major League Baseball's Director of Umpire Administration in 2012 and has been with MLB since 2000. In his current role as Senior Director, Umpire Operations, Matt is responsible for administering day-to-day umpire operations and facilitating communication between MLB's Umpiring Department, the Major League Umpires and Minor League Baseball. McKendry also assists in the scheduling of umpire assignments and maintaining records of information related to the Department's programs and initiatives.

McKendry served in MLB's On-Field Operations Department from 2002 through 2011, working first
under the direction of Bob Watson and then Joe Garagiola, Jr. His duties included investigating all on-field incidents and situations, assisting with disciplinary action decisions, monitoring pace of game issues, supporting the Uniform and Protective Equipment Regulations programs and administering his department's Stadium Operations and Groundskeeping projects. In that capacity McKendry assisted the Umpiring Department throughout the year with a number of administrative and research issues.

Matt's first duties with MLB started in November 2000, working in the Club Relations Department under Phyllis Merhige after being a part of the New York Yankees' Media Relations Department during the 2000 season.

Justin Klemm is Major League Baseball's first Director of Instant Replay, having been hired shortly after the announcement of the approval of the system's expansion for the 2014 season. Klemm reports to
Peter Woodfork, MLB's Senior Vice President, Baseball Operations, and is based at the headquarters of MLB Advanced Media, which will continue to serve as the Replay Command Center.

In his role, Klemm is responsible for the management of umpire involvement at the Replay Center. Among his duties, Justin handles supervisor staffing at the facility, and along with personnel at MLBAM, helps to coordinate the procedural configuration with the 30 Clubs.

In 2008, he became Executive Director of Minor League Baseball's Professional Baseball Umpire Corporation (PBUC). Klemm joined PBUC in 2004 as a Field Evaluator/Instructor before being named Executive Director, a capacity in which he worked closely with MLB's Umpiring Department on a variety of issues, including mechanics, rule interpretations, Arizona Fall League assignments and new hires. In addition to being responsible for all personnel moves for 220 Minor League Umpires, Justin guided a staff of six field evaluators and a medical coordinator while ensuring that qualified officials were in place for all 16 domestic minor leagues.

Prior to his administrative experience with PBUC, Klemm spent nine seasons as an umpire in the minor leagues, including four years in the Triple-A International League. As a call-up umpire, Justin worked numerous regular season games at the Major League level, and he was invited to work the Arizona Fall League on two occasions. He spent two off-seasons umpiring in China and Australia in an effort to develop officials there.

A native of Cataumet, Massachusetts, Klemm graduated from Indiana Wesleyan University with a degree in Management.

Jeff Moody currently serves as the manager of instant replay for Major League Baseball. In this role, he is responsible for managing operations, assisting with the facilitation of the replay process, and overseeing several key administrative functions.

Prior to joining MLB, Jeff honorably served in the United States Navy for over nine years as an active duty Intelligence Officer. During his military career, LT Moody deployed twice with US Navy Fighter-Squadron 37 Ragin' Bulls onboard aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman in direct support of Operations IRAQI and ENDURING FREEDOM. Following his operational tour, LT Moody served as a Team Chief in the Iran Branch at United States Central Command (CENTCOM) in Tampa, Florida. In this role, he led an 18-person analytical division and delivered weekly Intelligence briefings to the Commanding General and support staff on strategic level threats impacting the CENTCOM area of responsibility. During his final tour in the military, Moody served as a senior watch officer at the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) in Quantico, Virginia where he was responsible for providing global indications and warning of terrorist, foreign intelligence, cyber, and criminal threats to the Department of the Navy.

Moody's military awards include the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Navy-Marine Corps Commendation Medal, Navy Achievement Medal, and numerous campaign and unit level medals and citations. In December 2015, Jeff transitioned from the Navy and shortly thereafter began working at Capital One Financial Corporation. Leveraging his military experience, he successfully established the operations and procedures for a global cyber threat intelligence watch center at a Fortune 500 Company.

A native of Franklin, Tennessee, Moody graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 2006 with a Bachelor of Science degree in History. He also completed his Master's degree in Security and Safety Leadership from the George Washington University in May 2016.

Mark A. Letendre was selected by the Baseball Office of the Commissioner to develop and oversee the first comprehensive athletic health care program for the Major League umpires on October 15, 1999.

Letendre served as a Major League Baseball athletic trainer for 18 years with the San Francisco Giants and the New York Yankees. He was named to serve as the National League athletic trainer at the 1987 and 1994 All-Star Games. Letendre has been a certified member of the National Athletic Trainers Association since 1979 and is a charter member of the Professional Baseball Athletic Trainers Society.

In 2011, Letendre was honored with the prestigious PBATS President's Distinguished Service Award at the Baseball Winter Meetings in Dallas, Texas. In addition, he was inducted into the Hall of Fame of the Boys' and Girls Club of Manchester, New Hampshire. In 2011, Mark was the recipient of the President Abram W. Harris Outstanding Alumni Award by the University of Maine Foundation in 2014. He was recently recognized by the Professional Baseball Chiropractic Society with their Annual Visionary Award.

Letendre, who lectures on umpire health care techniques and educates audiences on the hazards of spit tobacco, also was honored in 1998 by the National Spit Tobacco Education Program (NSTEP) for his efforts to educate players and umpires on the effects of spit tobacco.

Mark is a member of the Scottsdale Charros, a civic group, and is on the board of Trustees for the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Scottsdale Foundation. Letendre also serves on the Board of Directors with the Baseball Assistance Team (B.A.T.), Major League Baseball's charitable organization dedicated to assisting members of the "baseball family" through financial grants, healthcare programs and rehabilitative counseling.

Letendre is a 1978 graduate of the University of Maine - Orono, where he received a B.S. in Physical Education and Health. He resides in Scottsdale, Arizona with his wife Judy, and daughters, Alyssa Hall and Shannon Philips.

Steven M. Erickson, M.D. is fellowship trained and Board Certified in Sports Medicine as well as Internal Medicine. He also serves as the Head Team Physician for Arizona State University in Tempe, AZ. Dr. Erickson grew up in Tucson and attended the University of Arizona for his undergraduate training in Biochemistry before going on to graduate from the University of Arizona College of Medicine. He completed his Internal Medicine training at St. Joseph's Hospital in Phoenix and went on to Ball State University where he received his sports medicine training and served as their team physician for two years. Steve is married to Dr. Laurie Erickson of Maricopa OB/GYN Associates and they are the proud parents of triplet girls, Katherine, Lindsey and Nicole.

Cathy Davis came to Major League Baseball in 2000 after spending the previous 22 years with the
National League, where she worked in the public relations department before moving to the Umpiring
Department in 1987 as Senior Administrator. In her current position, Davis is responsible for logistical and administrative day-to-day operations of the umpiring staff. Davis resides in Norwalk, CT.

Freddie Hernandez joined Major League Baseball's Umpiring Department in 2003 after working at
Betelgeuse Productions. In his current post, Hernandez is responsible for all umpire-related video
operations, including shooting game action video for umpires to review their mechanics, maintaining a database of umpire-related footage and providing umpires, supervisors and other personnel with specific video requests. A native of Ponce, Puerto Rico, Hernandez currently resides in Manhattan.

Michael Sansarran was named MLB's Coordinator of On-Field Operations prior to the 2014 season. He reports to Senior Vice President of Standards & On-Field Operations Joe Garagiola, Jr. Michael's duties include on-field incidents and disciplinary matters, and he also serves as a contact for equipment and
uniform issues, ground rules, and his department's stadium operations projects. Michael was a job-seeker at MLB's first annual Diversity Business Summit in 2012. The Fordham graduate also helped create the sports business program at his alma mater, leading the student voice to have a curriculum established and serving as the Business of Sports Society's Founding President. Michael's first duties with MLB started in January 2013, working in the Baseball Development Department under Frank Robinson. The New York native, who was a part of the MLB Fan Cave in 2011, currently resides in Brooklyn.

Raquel Wagner joined Major League Baseball's Umpire Administration staff prior to the 2012 season
after working for Major League Baseball Productions. She is the administrator for the Supervisor Umpire
Review and Evaluation system, used to evaluate MLB umpires. Raquel also assists the Umpiring
Department with various other duties, including Official Rule Book distribution and sales, maintaining schedules for Umpire Supervisors and Field Observers, and handling umpires' tickets for games. Raquel, a St. Louis native, graduated from the University of Missouri in 2009. She currently resides in Weehawken, NJ.